Police: Parking dispute sparks 3 North Carolina killings

1of5Mourners of three people gunned down in Chapel Hill, N.C., place flowers Wednesday outside the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry.﻿Photo: Chris Seward, MBO

2of5In this Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 photo, Chapel Hill police officers investigate the scene of three murders near Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, N.C. A man, his wife and her sister, all college students, were shot to death at a quiet condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, but police had not yet given a motive or released details about the suspect. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Tuesday shooting, Chapel Hill police told local news outlets. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Al Drago) MANDATORY CREDITPhoto: Al Drago, MBO

3of5This image provided by the Durham County Sheriff's Office shows a booking photo of Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, who was arrested on three counts of murder early Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015. He is being held at the Durham County Jail. Police were responding to a report of gunshots around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday when they found three people who were pronounced dead at the scene. The dead were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill; Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. (AP Photo/Durham County Sheriff's Office)Photo: HOPD

5of5DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 11: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout provided by the Durham County Sheriff's Office, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, poses for a mugshot photo after he was arrested on three counts of murder February 11, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. Hicks was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of death of three Muslim Americans over a parking dispute near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. (Photo by Durham County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)Photo: Handout

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A long-running parking dispute between neighbors motivated a man to kill a woman, her newlywed husband and her sister at a quiet condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, police said Wednesday.

A Muslim advocacy organization asked authorities to address speculation - much of it on social media - about possible religious bias in Tuesday's shooting of the three Muslims.

"We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated, and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case," Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said in an email.

The couple had graduated from North Carolina State, and one was studying to be a dentist at UNC. The sister was an undergraduate at N.C. State. UNC's chancellor called it a loss for both campus communities, and the school planned a vigil Wednesday evening.

"This was like the power couple of our community," said Ali Sajjad, president of N.C. State's Muslim Student Association.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, both of Chapel Hill, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.

Hicks appeared briefly in court Wednesday. He is being held without bond and will be appointed a public defender. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 4.

Police said Hicks turned himself in and was cooperating. They said the preliminary investigation showed the parking dispute was the motive.

Hicks' wife, Karen Hicks, and a former roommate of Barakat confirmed that Craig Hicks had been part of a long-running parking dispute.

"I can say that it is my absolute belief that this incident had nothing up do with religion or the victims' faith, but in fact was related to long-standing parking disputes my husband had with various neighbors regardless of their race, religion or creed," Karen Hicks said.

One of her attorneys, Robert Maitland, said Hicks had tried to resolve the parking dispute with the homeowners association several times without success.

Imad Ahmad, who said he lived with Barakat for more than a year, said Hicks would knock on their door about once a month to complain the two men were parking in one of the spaces designated for visitors in addition to the one space reserved for each residence.

"He would come over to the door. Knock on the door and then have a gun on his hip saying you guys need to not park here," said Ahmad, 24, who said Hicks carried the handgun in a holster.

Another attorney for Karen Hicks, Michele English, said Craig Hicks had a concealed weapons permit.

But outrage spread among some American Muslims who viewed the homicides as an outgrowth of anti-Muslim opinions. Many posted social media updates with the hashtags #MuslimLivesMatter and #CallItTerrorism.

"Based on the brutal nature of this crime … the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case," Nihad Awad, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement.